Re: Has or will ABC address RS's allegations?

from a blog by an PBS writer. Notice that nowhere does she refute that the show isn't scripted - it just varies in how they get the locations/dates/etc.

Q: How does the production on a reality television program vary from scripted or more traditional forms?

A: We shoot 100% of the time and air 1% of what we shot. With that said, we roll on a lot of boring sh*t but as soon as you set the camera down is when the good stuff happens, therefore we only stop when they are sleeping and even then there is somebody on standby just in case. Reality TV is known as being down and dirty and on the cheap, so it is very different from scripted [TV] in that one of my roles was to try to get everything for free -- if you see us at a resort in Bermuda it is because that said resort is looking for PR and they gave us the whole date for trade out.

Q: Do you feel like the contestants on 'The Bachelor' (and the Bachelor himself) are actually there to find love? Or do they see it as a way of furthering their careers, entering show-biz, or getting their 15 minutes of fame?

A: I am a bit of a hopeless romantic, so without sounding too cheesy I really believe that at our core most of us are looking for true love. Now, why would some go to match.com, a bar, or a reality TV show? The decision to go on TV is telling of their personalities and their motivations are almost never pure for these reality types. They usually want to leverage something. I don't know if it is always a career in acting more than it is fame, recognizability, covers of US Weekly, never having to wait in line at a club, for some it is about hometown celebrity status. Like take the realtor or the banker for example, after bearing all on a reality romance show they are inevitably viewed as an alpha type person and because of this their lives are exponentially better having made themselves a household name. Not to mention that over 50% of the cast, having not found love on TV end up finding it in their real lives immediately after going on the show -- somehow the people in their lives see them differently, more attractive even, having done something so ballsy.

Q: Does the editing process do justice to the contestants or is there a vast difference between what happened during the taping and what appears on the broadcast? In other words, does the editing carve out a story line or play up certain personalities in order to make it more interesting? I think this is the general assumption that the audience has.

A: TOTALLY! Everyone always ask if what we see on TV is really what happened and for the most part it is but, going back to the film 100% and air 1%, the viewer is only getting to see the really good stuff and, even still, if the stories are many we are going to edit them down to the most compelling bits, therefore leaving out (often times) how somebody goes from seemingly normal to totally coo coo pants. We have even gone so far as to "frankenbite," where you take somebody saying, "of course I'd like to say that I love him" and cutting the bite together to say "of course I love him," cutting out the very important "I'd like to say." [It's] definitely very misleading to the viewer and unfair to the cast member, but they sign up for this, fully knowing the reputation of the reality world.

Maybe this discussion is better of in the media thread, but where is this interview from? When did it happen? Who is interviewing and whois the interviewer?

Re: Has or will ABC address RS's allegations?

Originally Posted by jlccaz;3345271;

I completely agree with this.

They will either air a breakup / reconciliation with Molly if that's part of THEIR storyline, or not. If it's not, they will dismiss it as just another rumor, if pressed. And let's face it, since Jan 27 there have been so many unfounded, retarded, made-up rumors, they would have a point in a way. With gag orders all the way around, this season as with any, they get the last word. Which I've come to accept, incidentally. Even if as Steve says Melissa was blindsided at a closed set ATFR taping in mid January, if she were my close friend, I'd tell her to move on. It would take a large personal toll to take on a major TV network, and simply delay that much longer "moving on" to whatever joys and challenges her real life hold in store for her.

When a true rumor leaks out, the best strategy is to flood the market with other demonstrably false rumors, so that everyone dismisses the whole mess as unknowable. ABC isn't stupid.

The interviewer is Carrie Brownstein, a writer for NPR. She is interviewing a friend who used to work for the show (unnamed source). It is old, from April of 2004.

The entire interview has been put on this site numerous times since it was written but I was too lazy to look it up.

Despite it being old, it is still very applicable. The show is highly edited and "scripted" (not in the way normal shows are scripted, but they have storyboards and storylines). In the very beginning of the planning stages, the show knows exactly what kind of show it wants to produce and air. What might change are the actual tiny details based on what kind of footage they get.

And to make this conversation applicable for this thread - ABC, Next Entertainment, Warner Bros, Disney - none of them will admit this. Ever.

Re: Has or will ABC address RS's allegations?

In spite of everything that is being discussed after the ATFR2, I remain a sceptic that we are getting a true story yet. I am posting this here since in a way I think all this may be partially ABCs reaction to RS allegations. There are many things that still seem considerably out of place, inconsistent and that are bugging me:

1. First of all, I am still waiting for a credible source to confirm or deny RSs newest version of events. IMHO, this can only be someone who was at the ATFR2 (or a close confidante they trust if confidentiality clause is an issue), not someone with secondhand or thirdhand info or one of RSs disciples!

We know that at least 2 FORT-ers were there and I am still puzzled that there is no additional info trickling through! Do they totally agree with RSs version of events and don't feel the need to contribute? Or are their versions sufficiently different that they are concerned if they talk they could get a lawsuit slapped?

Some of you may bring up confidentiality issues, but my take is, if their versions are essentially the same as RSs, they could leak any details (through friends or confidantes), knowing RS's "source" would get blamed! If, OTOH their stories are substantially different, they may be inclined to keep quiet!

2. Even if RSs story has some truth, could important elements still be hidden in the parts of the FRC and ATFR1 they didn't show the audience? I said a few days ago that I don't necessarily disbelieve that some of the story elements have happened, but that the devil was and still is in the details and how they are presented!

3. Another thing that I question is why did they open up ATFR2 to the public, after closing ATFR1? With Melissa absent (as per RS), why didn't they just run a live ATFR2 on Tuesday? Could there be another "real" ATFR2 or an ATFR3 to come?

4. This last one is a big one IMHO, and talks directly to ABCs reaction. If what we are hearing now from RS is a true, accurate and complete version of how this will be presented on Monday and Tuesday, it seems like TPTB are imbeciles who can't "hide" their own manipulation, even though they have had weeks to think of a way. This is from people who seem clinically precise in their manipulation when they want to be! Something just doesn't smell right! If things play out this way, it would give an in to the mainstream media to begin questioning the premise of the show and opens up some potential legal problems (not to mention future ratings issues) for ABC.

Put very simply, I just don't believe that on Monday and Tuesday we will see the RS version of events unfold!

So I have taken my position, I have prepared my crow which I promise to eat if I am wrong or, to quote some posters, which I intend to force feed to some others if I am not!

Re: Has or will ABC address RS's allegations?

Pete, I think ABC is OK with the leaks because it encourages people who love to watch sensational events and would not have tuned in to watch, giving a boost to ratings; and - it gives the internet wise audience time to grow accustomed and digest the shocking ending and spread the word so that people are not immediately angry over it. By the time they calm down from the internet buzz, they are then willing to watch and see it unfold. Just IMO.........

Re: Has or will ABC address RS's allegations?

Originally Posted by Pete B;3355289;

In spite of everything that is being discussed after the ATFR2, I remain a sceptic that we are getting a true story yet. I am posting this here since in a way I think all this may be partially ABCs reaction to RS allegations. There are many things that still seem considerably out of place, inconsistent and that are bugging me:
...

So I have taken my position, I have prepared my crow which I promise to eat if I am wrong or, to quote some posters, which I intend to force feed to some others if I am not!

Re: Has or will ABC address RS's allegations?

In spite of everything that is being discussed after the ATFR2, I remain a sceptic that we are getting a true story yet. I am posting this here since in a way I think all this may be partially ABCs reaction to RS allegations. There are many things that still seem considerably out of place, inconsistent and that are bugging me:1. First of all, I am still waiting for a credible source to confirm or deny RSs newest version of events. IMHO, this can only be someone who was at the ATFR2 (or a close confidante they trust if confidentiality clause is an issue), not someone with secondhand or thirdhand info or one of RSs disciples! We know that at least 2 FORT-ers were there and I am still puzzled that there is no additional info trickling through! Do they totally agree with RSs version of events and don't feel the need to contribute? Or are their versions sufficiently different that they are concerned if they talk they could get a lawsuit slapped?Some of you may bring up confidentiality issues, but my take is, if their versions are essentially the same as RSs, they could leak any details (through friends or confidantes), knowing RS's "source" would get blamed! If, OTOH their stories are substantially different, they may be inclined to keep quiet!2. Even if RSs story has some truth, could important elements still be hidden in the parts of the FRC and ATFR1 they didn't show the audience? I said a few days ago that I don't necessarily disbelieve that some of the story elements have happened, but that the devil was and still is in the details and how they are presented!3. Another thing that I question is why did they open up ATFR2 to the public, after closing ATFR1? With Melissa absent (as per RS), why didn't they just run a live ATFR2 on Tuesday? Could there be another "real" ATFR2 or an ATFR3 to come?4. This last one is a big one IMHO, and talks directly to ABCs reaction. If what we are hearing now from RS is a true, accurate and complete version of how this will be presented on Monday and Tuesday, it seems like TPTB are imbeciles who can't "hide" their own manipulation, even though they have had weeks to think of a way. This is from people who seem clinically precise in their manipulation when they want to be! Something just doesn't smell right! If things play out this way, it would give an in to the mainstream media to begin questioning the premise of the show and opens up some potential legal problems (not to mention future ratings issues) for ABC. Put very simply, I just don't believe that on Monday and Tuesday we will see the RS version of events unfold!So I have taken my position, I have prepared my crow which I promise to eat if I am wrong or, to quote some posters, which I intend to force feed to some others if I am not!

Originally Posted by Mike'sgirl;3355860;

Pete, I think ABC is OK with the leaks because it encourages people who love to watch sensational events and would not have tuned in to watch, giving a boost to ratings; and - it gives the internet wise audience time to grow accustomed and digest the shocking ending and spread the word so that people are not immediately angry over it. By the time they calm down from the internet buzz, they are then willing to watch and see it unfold. Just IMO.........

Mike'sgirl - I agree with you that ABC is very happy with the right leaks. What I have a problem is a seemingly perfect leak which came out 2 weeks before the end. If events really turned out as RS projected ABC would have no end of problems. Therefore either RS is paid to leak or RS has incomplete or inaccurate bits and pieces! JMHO